Even From the Grave
by Eishexe
Summary: She was dead. She couldn't hurt anyone anymore...but even from the grave Heather Taffet was going to make them pay. Please R and R my first multi-chapter Bones fic! Rating lowered to T...mild language. NOW COMPLETE! PLEASE R AND R!
1. Chapter 1 : The Nightmare

Disclaimer : Bones and it's characters are not mine. But they are an absolute joy to work with!

Chapter 1

I had been watching, and waiting. I knew that it would take years for them to finally let down their guard. Even though she was dead, I knew better than to strike immediately. I lived and let live for a time; let them fall into a false sense of security and then when their guard was down I would strike and strike hard. What I hadn't expected was for them to make it so easy. Granted their newest case had caused their home to become a guarded castle now, but they would not be an issue. I had dealt with their type before. I knew the house, it had been so simple to replace their AC repair man, and they and their security had never been the wiser. I smiled knowing my plan was fool proof. They would feel my pain. They would know what they had done to me when they took her away from me. She had told me to be brave. She had taught me how to exact my revenge on them for their crime.

A rustle in the back of my car informed me my first query was coming too. I smothered his face with a chloroform soaked cloth until he stopped moving. I enjoyed the silence again for a moment before climbing out of the car and locking it. I had a few hours before the boy would be found missing, and I needed to be far from here when that happened.

OoOoO

I glanced at my watch and grunted. Bones would not be happy I had missed dinner…again. I took a sip of coffee, wincing. I had forgotten it was hours old and stone cold. Turning to set the coffee mug on the recess behind me, so as not to absent mindedly repeat the process and taking another god awful swig, my 10 year old's newest piece of artwork caught my attention. The piles of case work files forgotten momentarily I picked up the clay representation of a skeleton. She had dutifully labeled each bone. I shook my head replacing it on the recess and turning back to my desk.

_I really should call it quits for the night._ I thought yawning.

"Agent Booth?" the voice floated over the mountains of papers on my desk. I waved over the top of chaos. I recognized the voice, one of the newer security guards.

"Oh good you are still here." He continued, as I felt more than saw him step up to my desk. "This was left for you at the front desk sir."

I stood up then, reaching over the piles taking the small letter size envelope from his hand, and thanking him. He left as quickly as he'd come. I sat down at my desk again, staring at the envelope. There was no return address, not postage, only my name and title written neatly on the front: Special Agent Seeley Booth. Something tugged at the back of my mind. I'd seen this hand writing before. Curiosity got the better of me and I tugged the envelope open, my stomach sinking a second later.

_Special Agent Booth,_

_ I can only imagine what it was like to believe you are going too drowned, or that you are buried alive slowly running out of air, because you were unwilling to leave your friend behind. The good doctor was told it was not over. And it isn't. This game will be played by my rules Agent Booth. _

_After your futile race home in an attempt to stop me, visit this location for your first clue. _

_Latitude:N 38° 55' 29.6226"__  
__Longitude:W 76° 55' 51.8738"__-_

_Tick tock Agent Booth…tick tock._

My mind raced as a pressed speed dial on my phone. It rang repeatedly no one picking up. I cursed colorfully barreling down the hallway dashing through the closing elevator doors. It seemed to take years for it to arrive at ground level, as a hit another speed dial on my phone. The second line also rang repeatedly no one answering. I cursed again running through empty front lobby and out the door to my car.

I switched on my sirens and sped through the streets of DC. How could it not have been over? Heather Taffet was dead. There was no questioning that. There had never been any evidence that she had an accomplice. Had we missed something? Why hadn't Bones told me about the threat issued to her? This was completely impossible, but my gut was telling me otherwise. I swerved around pulled over vehicles right and left. I had radioed in for back up three blocks ago. They would be there mere minutes after me. I made the last sharp turn into our neighborhood and screeched to a hault in front of our home. I jumped out racing up the driveway, my stomach fell further. The front door was ajar. I drew my side arm and set forward toeing open the door.

Nothing was out of place. No over turned lamps no signs of a struggle of any kind. I moved forward through the foyer checking each room. The dining room, the kitchen, the living room; all empty. I moved silently up the stairs and found the first sign of trouble. I recognized the hand lying just short of the stairs and rushed around the corner without thinking. The hallway was a war zone. Three agents were lying motionless a little ways away, another one resting lifeless on top of her. My stomach knotted at the thought of what he had shielded her from. I pushed him aside as respectfully as I could, checking her for wounds. Suddenly my cheek lit on fire and I was dazed momentarily. I looked back and a wave of relief spread through me. It had been her that hit me. Her face proved she hadn't realized it was me.

"Booth…" she gasped, tears streaming down her face, as she grabbed at my coat, shaking me hysterically. "She's gone! He took her! I went in to check on her, to turn off her …her light. I didn't see him until he knocked me to the floor. I think my tibias are both broken I couldn't get up to stop him…he killed all of them… He took my baby Booth! HE TOOK MY BABY!"


	2. Chapter 2 : The Wrath of Mothers

Disclaimer : Bones and it's characters are not mine. But they are an absolute joy to work with!

Chapter 2

I hadn't slept all night. Bones was still in surgery. Max sat beside me, starring off into oblivion as I had been doing. I glanced at the table beside me. The pyramid of styrophome cups reminded me, I probably drank a little too much coffee. The last four hours had seemed like a blurred vision from a nightmare. My daughter was gone, taken by some maniac that could not leave us alone even in death. How could this be possible? It had to be a copy cat. Some lunatic that thought Heather Taffet was innocent; someone that would have benefit from her being shown as a wrongfully accused felon. But Taffet had never had any visitors, no phone calls, no letters; nothing that would point to someone waiting for her on the outside. She had had no accomplice. Bones and the others would have found something that would have proved a second kidnapper if there had been one.

I would never admit it to anyone but I had nearly jumped out of my skin when my phone had start blaring. I think Max did too. I fumbled the phone for a moment before successfully opening it.

"Booth." I stated shakily into the receiver.

"BOOTH!" Angela nearly screamed, my instincts went into over drive. "Oh god, oh god. He's gone Booth! Jackson is GONE! The police were on their way, someone left a note for Jack but he refuses to touch it and won't let me. Compromise evidence or something…Oh god my baby is gone!"

Her voice crushed me all over again. The bastard and taken Jackson too. I took a deep breath listening to Angela ramble hysterically. My gut freezing in my stomach as the realizaition hit. The creep had taken the children of those that had escaped Taffet's coffins, with no compensation. I wanted to throw the phone across the room. Shoot something…I really, really wanted to shoot something. Finally I pulled myself together enough to speak.

"Angela give the phone to Hodgens."

There was a fumbling, and Angela's continued sobs and then he spoke.

"Booth?"

"Yea Hodgens. Listen I didn't want to tell Angela, but I'm at the hospital right now. Bones is in surgery. She was attacked at home…she fine just broken bones." I replied, taking another quick breath and staring again before he could interrupt. "Hodgens...R.J. is gone to…the note Angela said was on Jackson's bed don't let the police touch it or anything in his room. The note I received was already compromised due to being handled by the security personnel and myself. I'll be right there Hodgens, we'll get them back."

I hung up once Hodgens agreed to my instructions. Standing I turned to Max, he nodded wordlessly knowing what I was going to say.

"Tell her I love her, and that I will be back soon." I said heading towards the door.

"She already knows." Max called after me as the hospital doors swept shut.

OoOoO

I pulled into Angela and Jack's drive. I threw the suv in park and breathed in deeply. It was time to put up the game face. These cops were not going to like me breezing in there and taking over things, but they would have to deal. Behind me the forensics unit pulled in and piled out. Sliding my game face into place I climbed out, shouting orders to my team and heading straight for what I had sized up as the Sheriff. I flashed my badge and as calmly as possible informed him I was here to take over, and that this was now the FBI's case. Oddly enough the Sheriff's face showed relief and put his hand out to be shaken.

"About damn time you got here." He breathed. "That woman in there is about to drive me and my deputies nuts. She's barracked the stairwell. Won't let us near her sons' room, something about contaminating evidence. I've had to duck a few 'prized' vases myself, the husband's currently trying to talk her down but she's not movin'."

Despite the turmoil I almost smiled imagining what I was about to come face to face with. My stomach fell as I entered the house, the sheriff had made the understatement of the year. Angela was currently giving one of the younger deputies a good thawacking with her shoe when I came around the corner. Every piece of moveable furniture from the hallway upstairs had been piled on the stair case haphazardly. I wasn't even quite sure how the dupty had even gotten within swinging distance of Angela's wrath.

"Angela, stop!" Hodgens yelled. "You're going to get yourself arrested for assault!"

"Wasn't it you who I told to keep them out of Jackon's room?" I asked coming up next to him. Hodgens turned and his shoulders sagged as he nodded.

"She overheard you…she took off for the staircase before I could stop her." he muttered."…she started throwing things…and then started piling things on the stairs…we haven't been able to move her since."

Suddenly the thwacking stopped and we both turned to see why. Angela was starring right at me and I felt sick. I'd never seen so many tears spilling out of someone's eyes that quickly or with that much anger behind them. The wrath of a mother, my Pops at told me once, was not to be taken lightly; and Angela was feeling the anger for two. I knew, had Bones been coherent, I would have had that face starring me down twice tonight.

"And you!" she yelled throwing her shoe at me that I barely dodged. "If you _ever_ keep something like _this_ from me again I'll…I'll…I'll…!"

Suddenly the deputy lost his footing and the entire barricade came crashing to our feet with him beneath it. Hodgens ran up the stairs snatching Angela into a firm embrace before she could react, and guiding her to a sitting position. Pulling my game face back into place I marched passed them, my heart breaking a little more, as Angela whispered, 'I want my baby Jack. I want my baby.' Over and over and over again as Hodgens rocked her gently.


	3. Chapter 3 : Waking Up

Disclaimer : Bones and its characters are not mine. But they are an absolute joy to work with!

Chapter 3

Waking up. My head was pounding, but I worked my way through it as best I could. I tried my best to remember where I was. It took several moments but I remembered. I was at home I had fallen asleep reading. I moved to rub my eyes but hit something hard. I opened my eyes to investigate what had injured my arm when I realized I was in complete darkness; only then to realize the only sound I could hear was my own breathing. I sat up quickly only to hit my head on something above me. I rubbed the pain away as I searched the hard surface I was sitting on for something…anything. My fingers ran over something solid, cylinder shaped and cool. I grabbed it, frantically searching for the button. I knew it had to be a flashlight from the familiar rough surface of the handle. I found the button a moment later and everything came into focus.

My stomach went cold and for the first time in my life I was truly afraid. Where was I? Did mom and dad know where I was? I rotated the light all around me trying to find an exit. I saw what looked like a window and crawled over to it. There was something covering it, something dark and grainy. I reached for the latch that held the small window shut and suddenly a torrent of something came pouring through. I quickly shut the window again falling back. I brushed the unknown substance off of me and shined the light on it again. My heart leapt into my throat, it was dirt. I crawled back to my original spot at the other end of the metal prison. Pulling my legs to my chest I rocked back and forth trying not to cry. Where ever here was it was under an unknown footage of dirt. I felt like throwing up as the realization hit me. I had been buried alive and this unknown housing was my coffin.

Suddenly a tapping noise broke through the silence and I shone the flashlight every which way I could. I found another window near me and got up on my knees to look through it. I gasped. There starring back at me just as confused and frightened was my best friend, Jackson Hodgens. I watched as he pulled open his window and I almost screamed for him to stop, until I realized nothing had happened. He wasn't being pelted with dirt. Hestitantly I unlatched my window as well and slowly pulled it open.

"Oh my god RJ are you ok?" he questioned, wincing slightly.

"Yes…well no…I mean…what's going on? Where are we?" I stumbled through my words.

"I don't know…" He answered. "One second I was asleep in my bed at home the next I woke up here…I think…I think we've been kidnapped."

"I think your right." I replied. "Well whoever took us was an idiot. You don't kidnap a Booth or a Hodgens and get away with it. Our parents will find us…I just know it."

"I'm sure they'll find us RJ…" Jackie replied. "The question is will they find us before we run out of air…"

Jackie's words sunk in quickly. I hadn't even thought of that yet and kicked myself mentally. I looked back at my coffin again, holding back tears I didn't want him to see. I was ten years old, Jackie was twelve. This was not something we should be worrying about. I almost smiled thinking that in other ten and twelve year old would have sat in the corner and cried their oxygen away and then fallen asleep with little to no understanding of why they felt so tired. But Jackie and me weren't just anyone. We were smarter than most. I remembered the day we had first taken an IQ test our school had offered. We had done it out of sheer bordom just to see what we would score. We had agreed not to tell each other our scores, but we both had agreed it was higher than 145. I smiled to myself, remembering the horrendous looks we had gotten from others in our class when we finished the test and hour before anyone else. I used the memory to my advantage, pulling strength from it. I turned back again with confidence in every part of my face, I could tell by the mirrored look I was getting from Jackie.

"We're gonna make it through this." I told him. "We should try to sleep as much as possible. The longer we sleep, and the less we talk the longer the air will last."

"Right. If you want me just knock." He replied, disappearing from the little window. I listened to him rustle around and then everything went silent again. I laid down as well placing my flashlight beside me, and with every bit of bravery I had, I switched it off. I was plunged into the darkness that had greeted me when I first woke up, which seemed hours ago now.

I thought back to before I had fallen asleep. I was reading something…I couldn't remember now. Then I woke up here. I knitted my eyebrows. No that was not everything. There had to be something to remember between them. I had to have come too even if it was just for a few seconds between being taken and waking up here. There had to be something I was missing. Suddenly something in the inside pocket of my cargo pants vibrated and I yelped. Jackie was at the window again instantly.

"What?" he asked as I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cellphone.

I nearly jumped for joy. How could I have forgotten it was there? How could the person that took us have overlooked it? Then I remembered that was the whole reason I had kept my phone there, so my teachers wouldn't be able to find it to take it away during school hours. I pressed the button to pull it from its sleep. There was very little battery left but enough. I pressed one on my speed dial and listened, hoping against everything that it would ring. I nearly cried when it did.

"Booth." My farther answered, he sounded tired.

"Daddy?" I asked. "Daddy I don't have much battery. Jackie he's here with me…you got to find us. We're underground…I don't…I don't understand why they took us…."

"RJ! Oh my god baby…we'll find you leave your cel..on…R…an…ou…me?"

"Daddy?" I asked again, but all that responded was static, as my phone gave up its last bit of life. I threw the phone across my prison and cried. Jackie must have reached through the windows because I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"We're gonna die in here." I sobbed. "We're gonna die and we don't even know why!"

"We're not gonna die RJ." Jackie said. "Think about it we're surrounded by my dad's element. All he needs is a single grain of particulate from the whoever took us and he'll know where to find us. We just gotta be brave ok? We gotta stay calm. The longer we conserve our air the longer they have to figure out where we are. We gotta help them help us ok?"

"Right." I sniffled, wiping away the tears and regaining my composure as best I could. "I blame that moment of irrationalness on my dad."

"Ok. I do that all the time only I blame my mom." He laughed but it died almost instantly and I saw the tears forming in his eyes. "The last thing I said to her before I went to bed that night…she wouldn't let me go to Derrick's for the weekend because my grandpa was going to come up from Texas on Saturday. I told her she never let me do what I wanted, and that being stuck here with her, dad and grandpa would be the worst thing ever…"

I bit my lip, snaking my arm through the window and putting my hand on his shoulder.

"She knows you didn't mean it Jackie." I whispered. "She knows you didn't mean it…"

I don't know how long we sat there, but eventually we both laid down to try and get some sleep. It wasn't easy but somewhere along the way I lost track of several hours, and I hoped Jackie did too.


	4. Chapter 4 : Psychology in the Writing

Disclaimer : Bones and its characters are not mine. But they are an absolute joy to work with!

Chapter 4

The forensics team had finished with Jackson's room hours ago. Now we were all sitting in the conference room near Booth's office. I couldn't bear to look anywhere but at my lap, but I knew they were all there : Cam, Sweets, Michelle, Jack. No one had spoken really, except for the occasional, 'I'll be right back' or 'I need more coffee'. Suddenly the doors swept open and I heard a familiar voice calling my name, heavy foot steps hurrying forwards me and a whoosh of air as they sat down beside me. I looked up and the tears I had been fighting for the last hour spilled over my face.

"Dad…" I breathed as he pulled me from Jack's arms and into a bone crushing hug.

"It's ok baby girl." He soothed. "I'd have been here sooner but the damned traffic…"

I almost laughed. Even in the worst of times he had that ability. I let myself relax into him, relishing in the smell of his funky cologne and his smooth over worn leather jacket. That smell had always made everything alright. Had always fixed whatever it was that was wrong, and I burst into tears all over again in realization it could not fix what was wrong now. It could not bring my baby back to me. Suddenly the doors swept open again, as the unmistakable ring of Booth's phone went off and we all looked up.

"Booth?" he replied, his voice drained.

"….."

My stomach knotted as his face melted and tears brimmed the corners of his eyes. My heart beat sky rocketed as I digested his words.

"RJ! Oh my god baby, its ok we'll find you. Leave your cell phone on, we can track…RJ? RJ can you hear me?" He was yelling now. Then very slowly he lowered the phone and stared at the screen. I was sure in the silence that followed I heard the cellphone crack a little in his fists. I watched as the terror and anger was swallowed and his game face slid back into place. Without looking away from his phone he muttered orders.

"Jack, Sweets come with me, you too Cam. Angela go home, take Michelle and your dad with you. There's a car waiting down stairs to take you. A security team will meet you there. No one leaves that house. And no one goes anywhere alone not even to the bathroom, understand?"

"But what about Bren?" I questioned.

"Max is with her and she has her own protection detail." He responded looking anywhere but at me. "Now come on, move people!"

OoOoO

We were going faster than I think I had ever moved in a car. Sirens blaring, swerving dangerously close to cars pulled off to the side trying desperately to get out of the way. I held on to my seat belt that had locked almost as soon as we pulled out of the FBI parking lot. I looked behind me at Sweets and Cam. The look of terror on their face told me they were feeling and thinking the same thing. He was going to get us killed. Suddenly we came to a grinding halt in front of a little house that could only be described as well, quaint. Almost instantly a tall, grey haired man came hurrying out the front door. He opened the passenger side back door behind me and Cam scooted over to let him in. I remembered him the second Sweets spoke his name in greeting.

"Gordon."

"Dr. Sweets." He replied, his English accent completely unmistakable.

As soon as Gordon had shut the door Booth took off again and we were unbelievably back at the speed we had been before we stopped, in mere seconds. A few minutes later we had pulled in to the Jeffersonian and we all piled out wordlessly following Booth inside. When we reached the lab I noticed a large metal container sitting on one of the examination tables of limbo, I knitted my eye brows but followed everyone into Dr. B's office. Booth shut the door and turned and looked each of us in the eye; then wordless pulling out two evidence bags from his jacket pocket and handing one to Sweets and the other to Gordon. The two psychologists read the slips of paper with in the bags silently and then exchanged them and read again. I knew what they were reading and my mind raced back to this morning when I had finally been able to read all that was left in place of my son.

_Dr. Hodgens,_

_ I cannot imagine what it was like to be buried alive. To feel the guilt that your friend will die too because they refuse to leave you behind. And yet you were the reason you and your friend were rescued. You led them right to you. As I am sure your good friend Agent Booth is going to tell you, there in your lab lies the only piece to the puzzle I will give you. The only clue that you will have to finding your son. Time is of the essesnce Dr. Hodgens…_

"The writer is male. You can tell from how he builds his sentences, how he addresses the two of you as equals." Gordon was saying, skimming over both notes again. "He is completely comfortable with his actions, almost overly calm in his resolve to do what he feels must be done. I would venture to say that he has been planning this for years, just waiting for the most opportune moment. Whoever this man is, he is calculating, he knows he has you by the…balls as it were and he is going to twist them as much as possible."

"He isn't completely in control. He missed something." Booth stated flashing his cell phone. "RJ..she called me from her cellphone. He missed that, he had to of missed it. RJ always hid the damn thing so she could text during study hall, without getting caught…"

I caught the hitch in his voice, Cam had heard it to and moved forward to put her hand on Booth's shoulder. There was another long silence and I stepped up not being able to take it anymore. We were doing no one any good by just standing here.

"I'm going to go do what I do." I said moving to step out into the lab.

"And I'm going to help you." Cam added turning to follow me."They're my niece and nephew too. And I for one am not going to stand here and do nothing."

I smiled at her and ushered her out the door. I swallowed the panic that was working its way into my mind as we pulled on our lab jackets and worked our hands into the latex gloves. Panicking was not going to get me and Angela our son back. Panicking was not going to do anyone any good, especially not Jackson and RJ. I took a deep breath and made my way onto the limbo platform. This was my job, what I could do to help, and I was not going to fail.


	5. Chapter 5 : Something

Disclaimer : Bones and its characters are not mine. But they are an absolute joy to work with!

Chapter 5

I watched Parker from across the room. He had driven all the way from Cambridge to be here. He had been the second person I called to tell him his sister was been taken. I'm fairly certain the kid had dressed himself, grabbed his keys and barreled down the hallway of his dorm to his car before I had even completely finished explaining. He loved his sister that was no question. He'd spent half his drive down calling every one of his professors explaining he had a family emergency and there was no way he would be in class for the rest of the week. Bones had tried to talk him out of coming but he hadn't heard a word of it. Something like 'No way mom, I'll be there before dinner tomorrow. No arguing. She's my sister, the only one I've got.' , before abruptly hanging up, his way of saying nothing was going to change his mind. And now here he sat, trying to distract himself with Advances in Multi-Photon Processes and Spectroscopy. I had to admit he got his stubborn streak honest.

I stifled a yawn. It had been a long fourteen hours. Hodgens had been in the lab for just under three of those. He would call as soon as he'd found something, anything that might steer me in the right direction. Fourteen hours my daughter had been gone. Fourteen hours of air was gone. Fourteen hours and we still were no closer to finding her or Jackson. I didn't want to think about the fact we had not been contacted, and told how much longer we had left. It was like the kidnapper had dropped off the planet and had no intention of giving us a final ultimatum. There had been no ransom note, no demands. Just a simple, I have them, here's a clue, no get to it.

As much as it gnawed at me I would have to thank Hacker. He had officially assigned himself lead on this investigation but had left me to really figure it out. I sighed, rubbing my face. Bones had been asleep for a little over two hours. I reached for her hand and felt something hard underneath the covers. Curious I lifted them and pulled out something I hadn't expected. A bright green photo album with pink bows littered around RJ's full name, _Ruth Josephine Booth_ embroidered on the front. My stomach clinched and throat tightened, as I pulled it open. I didn't need to do this. Letting the pain in, was not going to help me find her. I had to stay strong for Bones, I couldn't let myself feel, not until this was over.

"I keep it in my book bag." Parker mumbled as a way of explanation for how the album had gotten here. "I thought it would help mom coup a little better…having a little something of her here."

I looked up and smiled, nodding in understanding, then forcing myself to look back at my lap. A family photo starred back at me. Bones looked tired, I was grinning like a complete idiot and RJ was sleeping soundly unconcerned with our antics. I smiled sadly remembering it was Parker that took the photo, and had taken most of the ones in this album. He'd been so excited he had a sister. The next shot was one of me rocking RJ to sleep after a long two hours of her screaming. My hair was pointed in every direction. I would have yelled at him if I hadn't been so tired. Turning the page my heart was ripped out of me completely. RJ looked to be about 4, and mere inches from my face. Parker had taken the snap shot while she studied my face like it was some kind of math problem. The next shot showed what she was actually planning, waking me with a slobbery kiss to the cheek. I closed the book and replaced it beneath the covers where my wife had hidden it.

Suddenly my phone vibrated and I fumbled to pick it up.

"Booth." I answered stepping out into the hall, Parker following me to the door way.

"Booth. I found…I mean…we've got less than ten hours man…" Hodgens voice was thin, there was a jostling in the background followed by Cam screeching, and Hodgens dropping the phone.

"DON'T MOVE. IF YOU STEP ON HER YOU'LL KILL HER…CAM STOP!" he yelled. "CAM SERIOUSLY STOP MOVING! SHE'S NOT POSIONOUS! CAM **FREEZE**!"

I turned to Parker, shutting my phone, silencing the chaos.

"Hodgens found something…I gotta go." I informed him. My son just nodded giving me a push for the door.

"Don't come back without my sister." He called after me, then a second later confusion dripping in his voice. "Mom says…something."

I smiled, my courage and my game face right back where they needed to be. Something was all I had and it was enough for the moment.

OoOoO

"BOOTH FREEZE!" Cam and Hodgens yelled together, as I entered the Hodgen's work space. Cam was currently on the highest point in the room, Hodgins' desk, looking at the floor like it was going to eat her whole. Slightly alarmed I did as ordered, my foot half way to the floor, my hand still on the door handle.

"Don't move man. She's right under your foot!" Hodgins almost whispered, coming toward me very slowly, a plastic container in hand.

"_Who_…is right under my foot?" I asked going to pick up my foot.

"NO!" Cam squeaked, "She reacts to movement. She'll take off again!"

I froze again as Hodgins squatted down shooing the unknown thing into the plastic container and sliding the lid on light quick lightening.

"Did you get her?' Cam asked craning her neck to see.

"Yep…wait…I've never seen this spider before." Hodgins muttered as I danced around him to help Cam down off the desk.

"What?" She asked, when I gave her a questioning look. ".. Ok?"

Shaking my head and putting up my hands, I turned to Hodgins. He was staring at the spider in the container like it was something odd, unknown.

"What do you mean you've never seen this spider before?" Cam asked rubbing her arms.

"I know what it is… Thomisidae or crab spider…but I don't have one. I've never had one." Hodgins stood completely confused.

"Hodgins that spider had to have come out of the metal container…. This place is controlled, sealed." Cam offered. "Where else could it have come from?"

It was like watching someone turn on a light bulb. Hodgins ran out of his office and back to the limbo platform. Cam and I following hurriedly.

"Butterfly milkweed." Hodgins almost cried, pulling a small bud from the metal container. "The crab spider's preferred hunting ground is Butterfly Milkweed. The only place anywhere near here that it grows with success is Shenandoah National Park. They have to be in the park!"

"Hodgins I could kiss you!" Cam exclaimed throwing her arms around his neck, as I dialed the Calvary.


	6. Chapter 6 : Revelations in the Memories

Disclaimer : Bones and its characters are not mine. But they are an absolute joy to work with!

Chapter 6

I assumed that since I couldn't hear him moving around, he was asleep. We had talked, for what seemed like ages ago. Jackie had found a piece of a plant in the far side of his prison. It was small, bright flower with a thin stalk. Jackie had called it Butterfly Milkweed. I sneezed, reminding me my nose did not care for flowers, as I placed it my cargo pocket. I shivered pulling myself up against the wall trying to escape the slowly rising water level. It wasn't going to be much longer before I couldn't hide the fact that my little prison was about to be an underwater wonderland. I almost chuckled that I was more worried about Jackie freaking out than I was about me actually drowning. I shivered again, realizing I probably was not ever going to see the outside of this metal box. I felt the water starting to seep into my shoes. It was rising faster now. I was going to have to tell him, but still I sat unmoving unwilling to admit to my best friend that I was going to drown.

I felt the tears streaming down my face. I wanted to scream, but that would be completely illogical and serve no purpose other than to scare Jackie and probably make myself go deaf on top of everything else. As the water worked its way to cover my ankles, I went back in my memory as far as I could. My first memory what had it been? I felt horrid I couldn't remember. My favorite memory then; my birthday last year. It had been a perfect day, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Parker and me wondering the Jeffersonian Museum with nowhere to be and only time on our hands. I remembered being afraid my parents would throw me a surprise party with class mates that I didn't care about but that morning they had woke me up declaring it was 'where ever you want to go day'!

I wiped the tears away angrily. Why hadn't I hugged them a little longer that morning? Why hadn't I told them I loved them instead just rolling my eyes and giving them the 'so uncool' look? Why hadn't I told my dad I loved him instead of the completely useless babble I had said when I called? I hugged myself sniffling. I wanted a Dad Hug. For me Dad Hugs were like Mom hugs. Don't get me wrong Mom's hugs were great but Dad's hugs always made everything right. The ones that made the bad things go away. The ones that told me no matter what I was always loved.

I closed my eyes trying to remember their faces that morning.

_Dad was laughing around a bagel, at my mother's clear irritation that she was going to be late for her lecture. She breezed past me, a quick peck on the cheek and a reminder that I was supposed to go home from school with Jackie today, like I did every Tuesday, and she would pick me up at 5. My dad rolled his eyes at me, and I giggled as the echoing slam of the door reverberated through the kitchen._

_"You really shouldn't keep hitting the snooze button Dad." I informed him taking the last bite of my cereal and heading to the sink to pour out the remnants of my sugar laden milk. My dad just chuckled taking a sip of his coffee. I shook my head, I would never understand the amusement he got from making my mom rush around like a steam engine in the morning. A few minutes later saw us heading out ready to start our day. _

_Dad opened the door to the car, and climbed in the back seat, greeting my current 'chauffers', Agent Tyler and McDole. Someone had made some threat towards Dad and Mom on their latest case and Dad of course was not taking any chances. He leaned in through the open window gave me a peck and a hug and told me to be good and that he loved me. I rolled my eyes smiling 'ok dad', as the windows was rolled up for me and the car pulled away._

I didn't understand then why I looked back watching him watch us until we turned the corner out of the neighborhood. But now I did and I held onto the memory replaying it over and over again. I knew it was probably the last time I would ever lay eyes on my dad. The last time I would see him wave goodbye. The last time I would hear him say I love you.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the memory raced away from me, and the rest of the day played in my head. English, Math, Study Hall, Physics with Jackie and then lunch on the school lawn. My mind stopped moving. Lunch…something had happened at lunch. Something weird Jackie had said. What was it…I squeezed my eyes shut harder trying to remember.

"_Oh my god. Like our sub-history teacher was such a douche." Jackie grunted around his sandwich. _

"_Why?" I asked._

"_Like he didn't even know what year Julius Caesar was murdered. Can you believe that?" Jackie scoffed. "I mean geez. I know he's a sub but don't they at least get tested on IQ before they get hired for sub work? I kept having to correct him the whole class, so the other kids didn't write down the wrong information for crying out loud!"_

I'd just brushed it off as Jackie letting his 'bigger' brain get the better of him, but now I felt my stomach knot as I rushed forward through the day to history.

_The substitute looked normal, acted normal, and all around seemed fine until he opened his mouth. It was like a long string of complete idiocy that my classmates did not seem to notice. I snapped two pencils in frustration with his complete lack of knowledge. Mom would soooo be hearing about this later. As soon as I thought that his eyes had shifted to me, and he'd smiled. It wasn't a pleasant sort of smile that I thought someone of his type should have. It was creepy, unsettling. A shiver went down my spine as I broke eye contact with him to study the perfectly neat writing on the board, and then I sneezed._

I was jolt back to the present. I had sneezed! The flowers, there had been flowers on Dr. Hutcher's desk! My mind spun, Dr. Hutcher hated flowers…I concentrated again trying to remember what kind. The sudden realization physically hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew the the slim ball that took us!

Suddenly I slid right off the wall and into the waist deep water. I yelped it was freezing cold. I clasped my hand over my mouth but it was too late Jackie had heard me, and he was staring right at me. I watched has his brain calculated what he was seeing, horror didn't take long to crawl across his features. My stomach lurched as I tried waded on my hands and knees towards the window. He knew now and there was absolutely nothing I could about it.


	7. Chapter 7 : Sacrifice

Disclaimer : Bones and its characters are not mine. But they are an absolute joy to work with!

Chapter 7

The yelp had sent me sitting upright forgetting where I was momentarily and whacked my head on the low ceiling. I dragged myself to the window, trying to hide the wince I knew was present on my face. I had successfully kept my injury a secret from RJ but I didn't know how much longer I could keep it up. My right leg had been broken in three places. I had managed to set them while she was sleeping but with nothing to use as a splint it hurt to move even the smallest distance.

When I finally got to where I could see through the window, my blood ran cold. RJ was sitting in waist deep water. She was shivering and soaking wet. My mind seemed to take forever to calculate what I was seeing. Why had she not said something? I winced. Probably for the same reason I hadn't told her my leg was broken. I hadn't wanted her to worry more than she already was.

"RJ?" I breathed her name.

"It's nothing." She replied quickly wading through the water on her hands and knees to sit beside me.

"NOTHING?" I questioned hysterically. "RJ your _sitting_ in water! If this keeps up…"

I licked my lips I couldn't finish that sentence. Some how saying it, made it more real than I could bear for it to be.

"Don't you think I've thought of that?" She asked, wiping her face. Even in the semi darkness I could tell she had been crying. She had never cried in front of me, ever. I felt sick to my stomach. Anger welling up in my throat. If we weren't found soon we were both going to drown. My face must have betrayed my anger because RJ spoke up again.

"Look I'm sorry alright I didn't want you to worry…anymore than you already are!" she snapped, crossing her arms defensively. I'd never wanted to hug her more than I did at that moment. I swallowed my pride. If her secret was out then I guessed mine should be too.

"Look since we're admitting stuff…my legs broken…in three places." I muttered.

"You're WHAT!" She half yelled craning to see in through the small window. "Are you ok ?"

"Mostly if I don't move…there's nothing to use as a splint. I set them though while u were asleep earlier." I answered. RJ seemed to take the answer for what it was not pressing the issue further. She sat back flinging access water off her hands and coughing. She was going to get sick sitting in that water. It couldn't be even remotely water. We didn't know how far underground we were but we were underground and water that ran underground was always cold.

"I think I figured out who took us." She said in almost a whisper.

"Who?" I asked inching painfully closer to the window.

"The substitute teacher in history class." She snorted. "He had those flowers…Butterfly Milkweed in a vase on Dr. Hutcher's desk…almost like he was daring me…us to figure it out in the end…"

I shook my head. I knew I hadn't like the look of that guy. Something had rubbed me the wrong way about him and not just because he hadn't known proper roman history from a hole in the ground. I sighed rubbing my face in frustration. That's when everything got worse much to fast. There was a low rumble, a sudden guzzling noise and the loud whoosh of water pouring into RJ's prison. The water was rising horribly fast now, and I was to slow to stop her.

"I'm sorry Jackie. I'm not going to let you drowned too!" She cried over the torrent, tossing the flashlight through, and moving to close the window. "Tell my mom and dad…and Parker…I love them…tell everyone everything you know I meant to say!"

Before I could protest she had slammed her window shut, and latching it hard. I pounded on the thing with the mag-light. Screaming for her to open it, that she was being foolish; but she didn't. I watched her scramble up the wall as far as she could, resining herself to the fate she had chosen. The fate she had chosen to buy me a few extra hours of time. I couldn't take it. She was not going to die, not while I still breathed.

Giving up on the window I searched my prison again for some hatch, some way that I had been placed in here. There had to be something. I shone the flashlight over every square inch of metal, and then I saw it. My heart leapt into my throat, just within reach if I could move myself over to it, was domed glass. How could I have missed this? I glanced down at the flash light kicking myself mentally. I hadn't had the light too see it. I slid the flashlight across the floor and drug myself to sit underneath it. I looked back the water was a quarter way up the window now. _Hang on RJ. _I thought

I grunted, screamed in pain as I pulled myself up on my good leg, grabbing the flash light and pounding away at the glass above me. I threw all my strength into every hit. Finally the glass began to break and before I could move out of the way it shattered. A flood of dirt fell on top of me but I did not give up I held onto the sides of the hatch. And then there it was: blinding light, cool fresh air, and the faintest sound of voices yelling in the distance.


	8. Chapter 8 : Charge of the Four Horsemen

Disclaimer : Bones and its characters are not mine. But they are an absolute joy to work with!

Chapter 8

We were barreling through the city again, as I held on to the seat belt and tried to dial my wife's cell number. We turned another corner and for a moment it felt like the SUV was going to tip over. I wanted to yell at him about getting us killed but I bit my tongue. I wanted to get there just as fast as he did. Finally able to find the right speed dial on my phone I braced myself against the seat and pressed the phone to my ear. It rang twice before her voice filled my senses.

"Where?" She asked. I almost did a double take. How could she have known? I smiled remembering this was Angela, this was my wife, the one that could tell when you were thinking about stealing a cookie from the cookie jar and heading you off before you did it. "Dad, Michelle and me are already in the car. Where Jack!"

"Sh-Sh-Shenandoah National Park, the Big Meadow." I answered; trying to recover from another insane drift I didn't think the SUV was capable of making. "We'll meet you there."

I clicked my phone shut and glanced behind me at Cam. She was holding on door handle and seat in front of her, her eyes squeezed shut. Another swerve around a pulled over vehicle saw her tensing up, in an attempt despite her seatbelt, not to get thrown across the back seat like a rag doll. I turned back to the front, catching myself wishing Booth would drive faster. The park was nearly a two hour drive from the lab. And every minute that passed I felt myself die a little more. I stole a glance at Booth.

He was staring straight ahead whipping around cars, and blaring through red lights with frightening precision. I wondered if this was why Dr. B always complained that he never let her drive. I nearly sucked wind as three other black SUVs swerved in behind us as we sped through another frozen intersection. We were seconds from the Express Way now. I felt more than heard my cell phone go off and scrambled to pick it up.

"H-Hodgins!" I breathed as Booth barely avoided a collision with a jeep that couldn't get out of the way fast enough.

"Hodgins what's going on? Booth won't pick up his phone!" Dr. Brennan's voice sound wispy, the complete opposite of her normal overly confident self.

"Well…SHIT!" I snapped watching a small car spin out into the median. "Sorry not you Dr. B, sorry. Uh we're on our way to Shenandoah National Park…"

"Did you find them?" She gasped.

"I..I hope so." I replied.

"Tell him to call me Hodgins…You tell him to call me the second he has my baby." Her voice had grown stern, more Brennan like and I smiled despite the horribleness of the situation. _Mama Bear._ I thought remembering my wife's astute observation.

"I will tell him, Dr. B. And if he doesn't, me or Angela will." I promised. She thanked me, her voice returning to the quiet wispiness it was before and the line went dead. I closed my cell phone, re-adjusting my grip on the seat belt as we swerved entirely too quickly onto the on-ramp.

OoOoO

Since Hodgins' last phone call, an hour ago, the car had been silent, well minus the constant whirling of the sirens. We were almost there. The three SUVs behind us had managed to stay on my ass the whole way. I glanced at the clock. Sixteen hours ago I had been sitting in my office, unaware of the danger my family was in. Sixteen hours ago I had taken a sip of god awful coffee; that I somehow still tasted. Sixteen hours ago my life had been turned upside down. I exhaled letting the memory come back for just a second.

_My phone was ringing. I moved papers around pushed apart stacks until remembered it was in my desk drawer. I pulled it out barely catching it before it went to voicemail._

_ "Booth."I replied tiredly._

_ "Hey Daddy." Her chipper little voice floated through the receiver and I smiled. "Whatcha dooooo in?"_

_ "I'm at work RJ, currently wading through a mountain of case files." I replied, settling back into my chair, for a break._

_ "Mom made lasagna!" she almost sang._

_ "Fantastic!" I said trying to seem excited, but of course my ten year old heard right through it._

_ "Yea.. but let me guess you're not gonna be here." her voice dropped, moving from happy to angry in a millisecond. I sighed. She was right, I wasn't going to be there._

_ "RJ…" I began._

_ "I'm not telling her this time Dad. You want her to know? __**You**__ call her and tell her." My daughter grumbled and hung up._

I ran my fingers through my hair swerving around another car that failed to move out of my way, as I crossed over traffic to the exit ramp. I glanced in the side mirror again. The SUVs behind me, copied my move with practiced precision. Screeching tires and blaring horns met us at the red light but I barreled through without flinching. I barely registered Hodgins sharp intake of air and Cam's muted squeak behind me. People really needed to learn that red and blue flashy lights and a siren that was slowly causing me to go deaf meant : get out of the way.

"Special Agent Booth, this is dispatch. Over." The radio popped in, breaking the thick silence, as I snatched up the receiver.

"This is Agent Booth, what you got for me dispatch?" I replied.

"Shenandoah National Park Rangers waiting for you at Big Meadow, sir. Rescue Helicopter inbound. ETA 10 minutes. Over." The dispatcher's voice returned.

"Roger that Dispatch. We're about twenty minutes out. Over and out." I ordered, hanging the receiver back on the dash, and pushing the gas pedal farther to the floor.

_Hang on baby. Daddy's coming._


	9. Chapter 9 : A Child's Voice

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones or its characters. But they are a complete joy to work with!

Chapter 9

I looked out at the sea of blue and yellow coats. There had to be fifty agents scouring the meadow looking for any sign that something was buried. The dogs barked in frustration, noses to the ground guiding their handlers this way and that. Still nothing had been found. I could feel, literally feel the seconds passing. Jack was pacing back and forth behind me. I stood perfectly still beside my father watching, waiting, hoping against everything that someone would find them. Booth was a few yards away from us walking beside one of the dog handlers. We all felt helpless, all we could do was wait, and pray. Then I heard something. It was small, almost like I had imagined it. Then a memory slapped me right in the face.

_Jackson, probably six at the time, had somehow decided that playing in the small laundry elevator was a good idea. I'd come home to a completely silent house, and I had immediately knew something was wrong. His babysitter, some older woman that Jack had hired from the Nana-R-Us was sitting in the living room reading. I hadn't even bothered to ask her where my son was. I was too busy trying to find the small sound I could barely hear. It had been Jackson's little voice echoing up and down the laundry chute._

I don't remember starting to run, but run I did. I knew that sound. I _knew_ it. The farther into the meadow I got the more distinct the words became and my heart shattered.

"MOM! DAD! ANY BODY! HELP! HELP! HEEELLLLP!"

"JACK! BOOTH! HE'S HERE I CAN HEAR HIM!" I screamed. "JACKSON I'M COMING SWEETIE! JUST KEEP YELLING BABY! MOMMA CAN HEAR YOU!"

OoOoO

"ANGE!" Hodgins yelled. "ANGE WHAT?"

I turned around to see Angela bolting across the Meadow to an area the agents had not reached yet; Hodgins hot on her heels. Then I heard her yelling my name, and then something about being able to hear him. My feet moved on their own, most of the agents running after me. By the time I reached Angela and Jack they were trying to move mounds of dirt out of the way, reaching frantically into a gaping hole in the ground. My heart raced, and I realized I could barely breathe.

"Don't worry about me!" Jackson yelled. "She's right there. Next to me to the right. SHE'S DROWNING GET HER OUT. STOP PULLING ON ME MOM! GET RJ. OH MY GOD THE WATERS NEARLY TO THE TOP OF THE WINDOW! GET HER OUT! PLEEEASSE LISTEN TO ME!"

I fell to my knees digging furiously at the loose dirt. My mind flew back to the rock quarry; the panic I felt then was nothing to the panic I felt now. It was like my hands couldn't move fast enough and then I hit something, something smooth. All the sudden there were twenty sets of hands helping me displace the dirt and debris. Glass. I had hit glass. Without thinking I grabbed a flash light off one of the agents' belts beside me and started swinging. One. Two. Three. It cracked. Four. Five. Six. It was starting to shatter. Seven. Eight. Nine. The glass completely gave way. Water surging up through the whole.

"RJ!" I screamed taking my jacket off as another agent busted out the rest of the glass. Without another thought I dropped into the freezing water, flashlight in hand. I whirled around in every direction as fast as I could. It didn't take me long to find her floating lifelessly near the bottom. I grabbed her and pulled her back to the surface. Two sets of hands grabbing her from me. Another hand helped me back out. I scrambled over to her, checking for a pulse. There was none. I started pounding on her chest, pushing air into her lungs, over and over and over.

"No baby. Come on." I gasped. "Come on, RJ. BREATHE."

The seconds beat passed, my rhythm never slowing. I knew no one had the heart to stop me. I wasn't going to give up. My baby was not going to die like this. Not before me. Not in a dark place like that with no one to hold her.

"RUTH JOSEPHINE BOOTH BREATHE!" I yelled pushing air into her mouth again, and then suddenly I choked. I choked and she coughed, instinctively rolling over riding her lungs of the deadly water. For a moment I sat there stunned, her voice hitting me like a ton of bricks.

"Daddy?" she asked pulling on my shirt. It was like everything in the last sixteen hours hit me then. Everything from my race home the night before, to finding her mother beaten, to her being gone. I crumbled, pulling her to my chest rocking her back and forth like I had when she was a baby.

"Ssshhhh. It's ok princess." I comforted, tears spilling uncontrollably down my face. No more game face, it was over, and it was time to feel again. "Daddy's here. Everything's ok. You're safe now."

"Where's mom?" RJ whispered.

"At the hospital, she's ok Princess, just some broken bones. She put up a good fight when that creep took you." I answered, squeezing her tighter, and kissing her forehead. I smiled into her hair, even after sixteen hours of hell and nearly dying she was more worried about someone else.

"Broken Bo…Where's Jackie! He's…" she started whipping her head around.

"I'm right here." Jackie replied tiredly. I looked up to see an EMT wrapping his leg as best she could to stop the bleeding. Angela and Jack hugging the boy tighter than a choke hold. I watched as RJ reached out and Jackie returned the gesture, their hands gripping the other firmly.

"I told you we'd make it." Jackie slurred. I bit my lip to keep from chuckling. The EMT had probably given him a shot to dull the pain.

"Yea…I guess this means I should start listening to you…even though you _are_ a boy." RJ laughed, and my heart beat again for the first time in sixteen hours.


	10. Chapter 10 : Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones or its characters. But they are a complete joy to work with!

Chapter 10

Two weeks. It had been a full two weeks since they had been taken from us. Two weeks since the absolute worst day of my life. Jackson and RJ had figured out who had taken them. I had been so proud of the both them. The substitute teacher, Arnold Smith, I'd nearly choked on the name. A bit of a far jump from his old name, the one that he had when he married Heather Taffet. I felt sick just thinking about it. _William Burton._ I snorted. _There's a serial killer name if there ever was one. _I felt anger welling up in my chest, and I breathed deeply trying to rid myself of it.

The evidence against Burton was quite staggering. Hacker had made the arrest himself, since I technically couldn't be a part of the case on paper. That had caused quite a stir at the school, but Jackson and RJ were never going back there again so I cared very little. Burton had left traces of DNA everywhere. The first trace had been when he'd probably scratched himself against the rough surface of the metal box lid, the second trace had been left behind under my wife's finger nails, the third a splatter of blood on one of the murdered agents, and fourth and final one had been in Jackson's room. Apparently Jackson had tried to fight back even if it was only for a second. Two strands of hair were found near Jackson's bed on the floor. At the time it had all seemed much too messy, but then I remembered what Gordon had said. Burton in his mind had been in control. He completely believed he would never get caught, without him the DNA we gathered was useless. I shook my head, rolling over to my back. Sleep was not coming easily tonight.

I sighed reveling in the silence of the house. Beside me Bones slept peacefully and I smiled brushing a strand of her hair clear of her face. She looked the same as she had the night after RJ was born, and my heart swelled. These past weeks had not been unlike the first two weeks of RJ's life, only in place of small unhappy cries of hunger, there were screams of sheer terror. Those screams had jarred me from sleep for the past twelve days, and my heart still shot into my throat at the sound of them. I moved away from the unhappy thought remembering Bones' last two days in the hospital.

_We walked into the hospital RJ clinging to me as if she thought I was going to disappear. She shrunk from nurses and doctors that showed their overjoyed pleasure that she had been found. I tried my best to make up for her seeming rudeness but they all seemed to understand her discomfort. When we finally reached Bones' room she had dashed to her mother's side climbing up into her arms, and that is where she had stayed for hours, only removing herself long enough to give Parker a rib crushing hug before retreating to the safety of her mother's embrace. I tried to leave, to finish up some paper work and fill in the blind spots Hacker hadn't been present for, but RJ had literally latched onto my waist; begging me not to leave her. The tears spilling down her face was enough to ruin me completely and I decided Hacker could wait one more day. _

_ That had been hours ago, somewhere along the way I fell asleep on the small couch by the window. I didn't remember how long I was out, but coming to my heart sunk to my feet. Bones was lying asleep in her bed alone; Parker resting quietly at the other end of the couch. Where was RJ? My son shifted, my startled jump into awareness must have roused him from his dozing._

_ "Where's your sister?" I asked in a harsh hushed tone. Parker smiled, shaking his head and bidding me to follow him. I did so as my heart slowly crawled back into my chest. A few doors down from Bones' room Parker opened another door and ushered me in quietly. Pulling back the curtains I couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped my lips._

_ Hodgins and Angela were sitting on the couch by the window, conversing quietly as they ate take out. Probably the Chinese shop down the street from the smell. My eyes were pulled towards Jackson's bed and I smiled. There she was. Piled up and sleeping peacefully on Jackson's shoulder. Jackon was asleep as well, his cheek resting on the top of her head. I never noticed Parker had left until Angela spoke._

_ "She's fine Booth. Parker brought her in here about an hour ago."_

_ "We fed her some fried rice. I'm fairly certain she inhaled it." Hodgins grinned, adding quickly. "Don't worry I picked out the shrimp."_

_ I chuckled remembering her allergy, and found myself slightly surprised Hodgins had even remembered. I moved towards them and Angela scooted over to make room._

_ "You know they're each other's safety blanket now." Angela smiled. "It was hard enough separating them before, it's going to be nearly impossible now."_

_ I nodded knowingly. They had been through hell together. They had been there for each other because no one else could. Jackson's words a few hours before echoing through my mind. He had been completely unconcerned with himself, completely uncaring about getting himself out of harm's way. His only thought had been someone getting to RJ, because he couldn't._

A blood curdling scream rang out through the house. I was out of bed and down the hall before Bones had even been able to yell the words, what's wrong. I dashed into my daughter's room grabbing her up in a hug. She shuttered beneath my hold as tears soaked into my t-shirt like a waterfall. This was becoming much to routine and it was killing me; tearing me up from the inside out. I knew Jackson had gone through the same thing, but Hodgins had said that since they had moved Jackson's room down the hall closer to them, the nightmares had nearly stopped entirely.

Bones and I had discussed the possibility of moving. To get RJ away from the thought that her home was not the safe haven it should be. My head snapped up as Tyler and McDole appeared in the door way. I wave them off and they nodded in understanding moving off to continue their sweep of the house, which RJ's terrified screams had most likely interrupted them from. The Gregor Case was still ongoing and our protection detail had been doubled. I sighed, wishing life for my family didn't have to be so complicated.

"I don't want to stay in here." RJ muttered sniffling. "Can I camp out in you and mom's room?"

I smiled down at her; remembering when she was smaller and I would come home late from the office, and find her snoozing in her sleeping bag on the floor of our room. The excuse of course being the thunderstorm that was always raging outside.

"Of course you can Princess." I replied, moving off the bed to grab her sleeping bag from the closet. I turned back as she latched onto me again, her pillow and comforter already clutched in her hands. We moved slowly down the hall, and back to my wife who was waiting patiently, the light by her side of the bed switched on. She was growing used to this too and I felt myself die a little more inside. I met her gaze briefly and I read the decision in her eyes. We had to leave this house. We had to get her as far away, from anything that would trigger memories of this, as we could. I unfolded RJ's pink sleeping bag on the floor by my side of the bed and helped her situate her comforter. She snuggled down, drying the last of her tears taking a calming deep breath. She would sleep undisturbed for the rest of the night, and I took small comfort in that.

Climbing in bed side my wife, I kissed her on the cheek, before she turned to switch off the light. I rolled over on my stomach my arm draping off the side. I smiled sadly as I felt her little hand grab my forefinger and hold on with everything she was worth. My shoulder would be sore as hell in the morning but it was worth it. RJ's peace of mind was worth everything.

"Good night Mom. Good night Daddy." RJ murmured softly. My smile grew wider listening to my wife reply with her normal 'Good night, RJ.' I must have taken longer to reply than she liked because I felt a nervous tug on my finger.

"Good night, Princess." I whispered, and all was still again.

_Yes. _ I thought, closing my eyes and quieting my mind. _Tomorrow we'd start looking for a new home. Somewhere to make new memories and leave these horrid ones behind. Somewhere she could believe was safe. _

Fin


End file.
